Fabrication of Cd_1-xZn_xS/TiO₂ heterostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Hierarchical Cd_1-xZn_xS/TiO₂ heterostructures were successfully synthesized by the combination of an electrospinning technique and hydrothermal method. These heterostructures were characterized for the morphological, structural and optical properties by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energydispersive X-ray spectrum (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and UV-visible (UV-vis) diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic investigations showed that the Cd _1-xZn_xS/TiO₂ heterostructures possessed enhanced photocatalytic efficiency in photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation (degradation efficiency reaches 91% during 60 min), compared with the pristine TiO₂ nanofibers (26.5%), hierarchical CdS/TiO₂ heterostructures (81.6%), Cd _1-xZn_xS/P25 composites (77.8%) and pure Cd _1-xZn_xS nanoparticles (77.3%). The enhanced photocatalytic performance can be ascribed to the beneficial microstructure and synergistic effects of coupled Cd_1-xZn_xS/TiO₂ heterostructures.